Heritage has gone 9-1 against Liberty recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Heritage Patriots will take on the Liberty Lions at 6:30 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Tuesday, Heritage was able to grind out a solid win over Antioch, taking the game 53-41. Given the Patriots' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 245th, while the Panthers are ranked 501st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Kennedy Kell
| 02/11/25 @ Antioch | 15 |
| 01/17/25 vs Antioch | 13 |
| 01/14/25 @ Pittsburg | 12 |
| 12/12/24 vs Saint Mary's | 12 |
| 12/28/24 vs Serra | 11 |
Kennedy Kell was the offensive standout of the contest as she went 5 of 12 on her way to 15 points. Those 15 points gave her a new career-high. Nella Toeaina was another key player, putting up nine points and five rebounds.
Heritage smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 23 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 23 consecutive games.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Liberty). They claimed a resounding 76-36 victory over Deer Valley. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Lions have posted since December 5, 2024.
Heritage better keep an eye on Shyanne Smith. She was instrumental in Liberty's win, going 8 for 18 en route to 20 points and five steals. Another player making a difference was Leosha Baker, who dropped a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards.
Heritage pushed their record up to 15-10 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.8 points over those games. As for Liberty, they picked up their first road win, bumping their record up to 8-17.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Heritage has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 38 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Liberty struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.1 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Heritage didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Liberty in their previous meeting back in January, but they still walked away with a 55-51 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Heritage since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
